Many people suffer from limited mobility, which may result from age, disease, traumatic injury, or another cause. For example, a person may lose bone, muscle mass, and/or strength as he/she ages. As a result, his/her mobility may become increasingly limited over time. In other cases, a person may suffer traumatic injury that limits his/her mobility, e.g., by damaging/destroying muscle, bone and/or nerve pathways between the brain and a limb such as an arm or leg. For these and other reasons, a person may be mentally willing to move, but may be physically unable to do so.
Over the years, many technologies have been developed to enhance and/or restore human mobility that has been lost due to age and/or traumatic injury. In particular, interest has grown in the use of exoskeleton technology for enhancing and/or augmenting human mobility.
Exoskeleton technology has been developed in the military context to enhance the capabilities of soldiers and support personnel. Such military exoskeletons may include a steel and aluminum main frame having one or more hydraulically articulating joints that are generally configured to mimic the function of a major joint of a human (e.g., a knee, an elbow, a shoulder, etc.). Sensors and actuators attached to the main frame detect force applied by an operator (e.g., by the motion of the operator). In response to such applied force, a relevant portion of the exoskeleton moves in an appropriate manner. Thus, if an operator applies force to a sensor by moving one or his or her arms, a corresponding arm of the exoskeleton may move in an appropriate manner so as to mimic the motion of the operators arm.
Exoskeletons have also been developed for medicinal and therapeutic applications. In some instances, such exoskeletons may include “legs” that are formed by a metal main frame with articulating knee joints. After a user dons the exoskeleton, a therapist may utilize a control system to cause the exoskeleton to walk in a manner simulating the natural gait of a human being. In some instances, a user may take control when the exoskeleton takes steps, e.g., by pressing buttons in a handheld walker/cane. Alternatively or additionally, a user may prompt the exoskeleton to step by shifting his or her weight in a manner that is detectable by a force sensor.
While existing exoskeletons are useful, they often enhance or supplant a natural body motion of a user with the actuation of mechanical components, such as a mechanical joint that is strapped or otherwise attached to the body. Such exoskeletons may not enhance and/or restore motility by facilitating or enabling the contraction of a user's muscles. Moreover, existing exoskeletons often rely on force sensors and/or one or more buttons to initiate exoskeletal motion. That is, movement of such exoskeletons may be initiated in response to a button press or a motion made by a user that applies a detectable force on a force sensor. If the user cannot make the required movement or apply the necessary force, the exoskeleton may not respond.
Although the following detailed description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.